A housing provider allegedly ripped up a disabled woman's floor coverings and are refusing to replace them - while her insurers say there's nothing they can do.
Caroline James suffers from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and has lived alone in an assisted bungalow in Redcar, North Yorkshire, for the past nine years.
The 57-year-old said a home assessment found all the joists under the floor had rotted away due to water damage and the whole flooring would need replacing.
She has since spent a year stuck in a stalemate with provider Beyond Housing, and says the stress of it all has seen her hospitalised, reports Teesside Live.
For months, different workmen have come round and told Caroline "different stories" about what the situation is, she says.
Last Monday (September 26) they finally ripped up an isolated section of flooring and scrapped it, leaving floorboards and wooden panels exposed, Caroline claims.
She said she has now been informed there is no clear signs of water damage or rotted joists.
Caroline said: "For months and months I have been told that many different stories by the different workmen that have come round.
"Now, the workmen have ripped it up and put boards down - but they've gone and taken my laminate flooring with them.
"He'd been in touch with his boss that morning to say 'she's got flooring down, are we allowed to take it up' and they said yes.
"He then told me the man from the insurance would ring me at around 5pm the next day but I never received that call."
She continued: "So I rang the insurance up myself for the person on the other end to tell me that they shouldn't have taken off the flooring and that they wouldn't be able to help.
"It's not as though I can replace it myself either because they took my flooring with them when they left."
Since this situation began, Caroline claims she has had to be hospitalised several times due to stress and other related illnesses, and now just wants to resolve the dispute as soon as possible.
She added: "I've had a look into claiming on the insurance but my own home insurance only covers accidental damage so I can't claim off of that.
"I rang up Beyond Housing and the lady I spoke to said that I could try to claim on theirs but that she didn't think they would pay out because it isn't their problem but in my eyes, it is their problem."
A spokesperson for Beyond Housing said: "We apologise to Ms James and are working closely with her to ensure the original concerns she reported have been addressed to her satisfaction.
"We value all customer feedback that helps us to improve our services and thank Ms James for bringing this matter to our attention."
